Turns out, Barbieland isn't as gay as s queer fans had hoped

Contents:

• PAST HOSTILY FAS AWAY AS GAYS SHOW PRI LONG BEACH PARA
• TURNS OUT, BARBIELAND ISN'T AS GAY AS S QUEER FANS HAD HOPED
• LONG BEACH GAYBORHOODS: LOVG LGBTQ LIFE THIS COASTAL COMMUNY

PAST HOSTILY FAS AWAY AS GAYS SHOW PRI LONG BEACH PARA

Vis Gay Long Beach. “The bars, shops, and spac Alamos Beach have long been a refuge for gay people across our regn.

TURNS OUT, BARBIELAND ISN'T AS GAY AS S QUEER FANS HAD HOPED

In the 1960s and early ’70s, beg gay was still nsired by many a mental illns, and even the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn didn’t remove om the list of mental disorrs until 1973. Club Rippl, which spent nearly 50 years on Ocean Boulevard but has sce closed after s owners retired, was, like other Long Beach gay bars, among the only safe plac those who were LGBTQ uld hang out.

Garcia, the cy’s first openly gay mayor, tied the moment to a broar fight for social jtice. And April, Long Beach hosted a biannual LGBTQ nference that featured about 600 legat om around the world talkg about lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and tersex human rights their untri. LONG BEACH — The sixth annual Lbian and Gay Pri Para and Ftival went off whout a hch last was the ual assortment of participants rangg om flamboyant drag queens to sober-lookg activists rryg signs advotg homosexual rights and the rights of AIDS patients.

”The Long Beach para and ftival was the first of a seri of events schled throughout the untry to memorate the 20th anniversary of the police raid on Stonewall, a gay bar New York. The June 28, 1969 raid spurred three days of rtg and is generally nsired the begng of the morn homosexual rights a lol level, anizers say, the 1989 Long Beach Lbian and Gay Pri Para and Ftival provid a major ntrast to s own begngs, which speaks volum about how much this cy has 500 people led the streets to see that first para 1984, Doyle said.

LONG BEACH GAYBORHOODS: LOVG LGBTQ LIFE THIS COASTAL COMMUNY

Three of the four members perceived then as anti-gay have been replaced by members believed to be more supportive of homosexual issu. The fourth, Warren Harwood, says he is not anti-homosexual, and that he got a bad rap back then.

“I’ve always relied on the advice of the cy attorney, ” Harwood said discsg his 1985 vote agast permtg the ftival to n for two days and other posns nsired anathema by homosexual Ernie Kell, who as a votg member of the uncil often sid wh Harwood on issu pertag to the gay event, now says that his early fears regardg s propriety have been proven unfound. ”Communy InvolvementHarwood attribut that primarily to the actns of gays themselv, who are believed to number up to 50, 000 Long Beach. “Their volvement the muny on a broad range of issu, ” he said, “has very much helped faiarize the muny wh the learship of the gay and lbian muny.